Building a Chicken Coop with recycled materials - By DjSandoors.

Today I would share with you a very interesting video, produced by DjSandoors, on building a chicken coop from recycled material. Sure, it takes a certain amount of skill and a few more tools than we usually find ourselves in the garage, but this video is one of the few that I found (in the flood of movies about building a chicken coop) to have some interesting practical implications , that is one of the few that can be really useful for the hobbyist.

Sandor made ​​his chicken coop in 27 hours, using only recycled materials. his expenses were limited to about U.S. $ 65, which represents approximately € 48.3! Given the finished result, I would say that is very remarkable: its 5 star Orpington have something happy. Only note, a window size would provide more un'assai better lighting, and you know that light is important for chickens.

I leave the video, the other movies of Sandor here is his youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/djsandoors

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Video - My hen houses

After a long silence, a new post to have a look at my hen houses! The video it's in italian... but I hope that however the images will speak clearly. Ciao!

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The Boffa or Paduan Bearded Hen, an almost extinct breed that we are trying to save from oblivion

A new adventure. Yes, this can be considered true.
Whoever follows me will already know that my commitment and my passion are directed towards the conservation of biodiversity, both in natural and livestock. This led me, over and over again, to research and document the wealth of chicken breeds that once roamed my country, and in particular those in my region, the Veneto. Just follow this passion I have been a few years ago to pursue the traces of an endangered breed which I found very fascinating and deplored the loss of which, the ancient race Boffa. These animals, the result of the intersection of crested chickens (Polverara Padovana Great Tuft) and the largest local hens of the countryside of Padua, was known by the second half of the nineteenth century. Its most distinctive feature was the thick tufts of feathers that crowned the beak, like a beard and favorites. Slowly disappeared from rural farmyards, ended with the disappearance of all in the second half of last century.

But after long unsuccessful searches on the territory of Padua, to see if there were still survivors of these breed, some year ago I found in a poultry forum a picture that showed some chickens that was very similar to the ancient Boffa. Thanks to my friend Marco Bindocci, it was found that a flock of this breed, although not genetically selected, survived by an elderly farmer in central Italy, which has bred this poultry for 50 years, gift from an aunt who married an emigrant to the Venetian which had brought them from their land.

So, in 2009, december, a tiny group of  has arrived in my chicken coop, and in February the first chicks have begun to emerge. I would like to signal you my project: the website:

GallinaBoffa.com

with news, articles, projects strictly related to the rescue of this beautiful breed. With the website I've started also the pubblication of a blog, as "news dispenser":

GallinaBoffa.blogspot.com

Soon came a book and other news. Meanwhile, the chicks are born and grow, and they will more than anything else to shape the future of this breed. I sincerely hope you want to follow me a little 'in this adventure. See you soon!

Poultry - The Bionda Piemontese hen, inheritance from to mother to daughter

Bionda Piemontese rooster - Alessandria type. Breeder and photo: Emilio Briganti.

The Italian breeds should always be discovered and exploited in our country, particularly in the areas that have seen the birth.
It 's why today I want to talk about a really great race, which comes directly from the Piedmont: the Bionda Piemontese (Piedmont Blonde).
Formerly known with various names (Bionda di Villanova, B. di Cuneo, la Rossa delle Crivelle, Nostralino) the Bionda Piemontese is a chicken with the typical characteristics of  Mediterranean breeds, common in the Piedmont area since time immemorial; first references for these magnificent animals, however, are known only by from 1938, the year in which the Director of the Torino Sperimental Poultry Center, Vittorino Vezzani, decided to create a draft selection of the breed. Sure, these chickens were so popular that apparently were inherited from mother to daughter as a "dowry" means, in practice, when a daughter gets married, she received from her family a group of chickens to start their own flock. It seems that the jealousy of their strains induced as the housewives never giving fertilized eggs outside the household.

In any case, despite the collapse of the 60's of last century (due to new methods of agricultural and livestock), handed down from generation to generation, this race has come down to this day and since 1999 is the subject of a restoration project as well as have become Slow Food garrison.

Physically, the blonde looks like a fawn, black-tailed chicken; some selections have blue or white tail. Males can reach 2.5 to 2.7 kg, females stood, however, between 2 and 2.3 kg. Skin, legs and beak are yellow, the comb tends to curl up in hens. There are two main types: the Alexandria Blonde, with white - yellow earlobes, and the Cuneo Blonde, with red earlobes that result from crosses with New Hampshire. They can produce from 180 to 200 white or light pink eggs, weighing close to 60 grams. The deposition started at the 6 th - 7 th month of life. Rustic and sturdy, they are good egglayers also in winter; there are perfect for free range breeding.

In short, this is a fantastic breed with a really fascinating history and many qualities that deserve to be further considered by the Italian breeders (especially from the Piedmont!), as well as other local race, the White Saluzzo.

Important Note: all animals are bred shown by Emilio Briganti, whom I thank for the willingness to provide the pictures and congratulations for his commitment to the Italian breeds. If you wish to contact us,  click here to send him an E-mail.

Bionda Piemontese hens - Alessandria type. Breeder and photo: Emilio Briganti.

We go!

Now, this is a very strange adventure for me. Yes, the 2011 it's coming and I'll try to do an English version of my blog, Oryctesblog. I hope that you will find something interesting here, I (mostly) hope that my horrible comprehension of Shakespeare language will not discourage you to continue the reading. I hope this will be for me - and for you, also - the start of a new journey into italian way to natural gardening and wilde life, poultry biodiversity, and much more. Thanks for your patience. Ciao!

A Polverara rooster crowding. Photo Andrea Mangoni

Epipactis helleborine, an italian wild orchid. Photo Andrea Mangoni